essays | opinions | musings

Carnage [review]

After a quick jaunt back into the city, I passed by the theater nearest the train — City Cinemas 1, 2, 3 — and noticed that Carnage was still playing. I had exactly $13 in cash, which I decided was fate telling me to see this movie, one I had been meaning to see for a few weeks now.

While I have not seen the play, I really enjoyed its film adaptation. Since Christoph Waltz‘s performance in Inglorious Basterds, I’ve been drawn to him. He and Kate Winslet worked well in contrast to the couple portrayed by the beyond talented and lovable — even in a state of rage — John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster. Kenneth Turan was right when he called the camera work claustrophobic, but it worked well and brought to life something that reminded me of what I had imagined while reading Satre’s No Exit. Everything about the plot felt natural, and I suppose that is the biggest success of acting. Watching the couples and their drama unravel, as they started off as otherwise “decent,” was actually a dark treat. It’s what we want, because it’s real — amusing when it happens to others. Human nature at its best, well done by Polanski.